SHUCKED will close January 14, 2024; TOMMY rumored for the Nederlander — Page 2

EDSOSLO858 said: "I’m shockedHere Lies Loveonly has a $700,000 weekly running cost with that insane theatre setup.

Nearly all new musicals that open on Broadway post-COVID seem to run 9-10 months in a best-case scenario. Entertainment habits have changed, ticket prices are obscene, and even if audiences eventually return in pre-COVID numbers sometime these next few full seasons, they’ll gravitate more towards old favorites that have been in excellent shape for many years. Longevity has become a pre-pandemic sensation.
"

My thoughts exactly. No way HLL weekly costs is $700,000 whereas Once upon a one more time was $ 900,000 weekly. Something does not add up

OhHiii said: "This week has been abnormally quiet for a week in mid-October with so much left to announce for the Spring. Have to wonder if the world headlines had productions pushing their announcements. We'll see next week."

Possibly. It's also quite the strategic move to embargo the SHUCKED closing notice to the same time as GUTENBERG's opening night press. (They share a press agent, who was probably assuming better for GUT to help mask the SHUCKED news)

This show would be perfect for New World Stages.

EDSOSLO858 said: "This show would be perfect for New World Stages."

Perfect. And I think it will run for a long time there like Avenue Q did.

Avenue Q had a gimmick, ran for years on Broadway, and won the Tony. Not sure this will have the same tourist appeal. I would have thought Kinky Boots would have been a huge hit off Broadway but alas.

RippedMan said: "Avenue Q had a gimmick, ran for years on Broadway, and won the Tony. Not sure this will have the same tourist appeal. I would have thought Kinky Boots would have been a huge hit off Broadway but alas."

By the time they tried bringing KB to NWS there had been local regional productions across the continent. One of my co-workers saw a local production last summer & had been so excited about going, but afterwards was very disappointed because the production values just were not what she had been expecting. The brand really gets devalued, occasional theatre goers feel "burned," & become wary of going out again. It might be different if they hadn't licensed use of the official logo along with performance rights. Maybe if the advertising was somebody's bad sketch on Paint, people might be less disappointed when at the local rec centre they get an 80 year old Lola with a walker & orthopedic shoes.

Jordan Catalano said: "Oooooh, I hope the at “Tommy” rumor is true!!!"

I second that emotion!

Q: Assuming the rumor is true, can anyone provide an educated guess on the earliest Tommy could realistically open (or at least go into previews) on Broadway?

I will be interested to see what happens with Shucked. Had it not been for Omicron, Waitress was poised for a very smooth transfer to NWS after its Barrymore run. That and the failure of Kinky Boots haven't made these transfers seem viable, but Titanique and Little Shop should be studied for breathing life into commercial off-Broadway where it hasn't been in decades.

inception said: "RippedMan said: "Avenue Q had a gimmick, ran for years on Broadway, and won the Tony. Not sure this will have the same tourist appeal. I would have thought Kinky Boots would have been a huge hit off Broadway but alas."

By the time they tried bringing KB to NWS there had been local regional productions across the continent. One of my co-workers saw a local production last summer & had been so excited about going, but afterwards was very disappointed because the production values just were not what she had been expecting. The brand really gets devalued, occasional theatre goers feel "burned," & become wary of going out again. It might be different if they hadn't licensed use of the official logo along with performance rights. Maybe if the advertising was somebody's bad sketch on Paint, people might be less disappointed when at the local rec centre they get an 80 year old Lola with a walker & orthopedic shoes."

It was at Stage 42, not NWS. But still a Shubert house.

There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose of the stop clause and its use. Aside from limited runs and breaches of the booking agreement, the stop clause simply outlines the steps needed for a show to close. It can be invoked by either the landlord, or by the show's producer (it prevents producers from moving hit shows into larger, competing theaters).

The stop clause amount is based on the weekly gross box office revenue for a theater at full, non-discounted capacity, so most closing shows we talk about clearly have met the conditions and would be closing under the conditions of the stop clause (basically, it's a written notice from either party, given at a week's notice of the closing, which can be extended by agreement... but the extended date is firm).

Aside from any material breach of the agreement or uncontrollable conditions (which are outlined in the contract), the only way to close an open run without the stop clause is by a separate, mutual agreement. Producers of a show like The Music Man or Sweeney Todd would instesd possibly have an addendum to address closing the show if no viable star replacement can be found.

All of this is based on the agreements I've seen from the Shuberts, but aside from small details, they aren't likely to be fundamentally different than the other landlords. They also are standardized, so the language in each agreement is mostly the same.

This is not true (re: Alex).

This is a case of a show needing a house (they had one, and are unable to move in now), and the potential for that new show (Tommy) to be greater than the potential longevity and money-making ability of Shucked. The Nederlander is owned outright and I suspect that contractually/legally, if J. Ned. wants to evict a show, he can do it. This has nothing to do with Alex.

Updated On: 10/16/23 at 11:03 AM

soxboy22 said: "If my show were on the edge I’d pray (invite) Tay Swift to attend and get a quote. I think she’s in the area, don’t know if she attends Broadway."

what?